Contribution of cropland expansion to regional carbon stocks in an arid area of China: a case study in Xinjiang

IF 2.8 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Carbon Management Pub Date : 2022-01-02 DOI:10.1080/17583004.2022.2043446

Yuangang Wang, C. Li, Friday Uchenna Ochege, Q. Han, O. Hellwich, Shixin Wu, G. Luo

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Abstract There has been an increasing number of studies on the potential effects of land-use change on the carbon (C) balance. However, few of these studies have focused on arid regions. Cropland in Xinjiang, a typical arid region in China, has expanded dramatically over the last 40 years. This study applied the Carbon Bookkeeping Model to estimate the changes in C stocks resulting from cropland expansion in Xinjiang from 1975 to 2015. The results showed that the area of cropland increased by a factor of ∼1.6. This increase was driven by advancements in agricultural technology and favorable agricultural policies. The increase in cropland area of 2.03 Mha (M = 106) was the result of the clearing of ∼4.09 Mha land for cropland and the conversion of 2.06 Mha cropland to other land cover types. The expansion in cropland resulted in substantial sequestration of C, with that in Xinjiang amounting to 94.24 Tg C (1Tg = 1012g), accounting for 1.4% of the regional C stocks. Land clearing for cropland (LCC) had the greatest contribution to C sequestration in Xinjiang. The rate of increase in C density through LCC was 0.61 Mg C ha−1a−1 and 1.54 Mg C ha−1a−1 from 1975 to 2004 and 2005 to 2015, respectively. C sequestration due to cropland loss (CLO) of 29.40 Tg C was attributed to the expansion of built-up land and afforestation. Sustainable agricultural activities represented by large-scale clearing for cropland were a major C sink in Xinjiang. Therefore, sustainable management of cropland is essential for maintaining a high C density and preventing loss of C to the atmosphere through cropland abandonment in the future.

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中国干旱区耕地扩张对区域碳储量的贡献——以新疆为例

土地利用变化对碳(C)平衡潜在影响的研究越来越多。然而，这些研究很少集中在干旱地区。新疆是中国典型的干旱地区，在过去的40年里，新疆的耕地面积急剧扩大。本文应用碳记账模型对1975 - 2015年新疆耕地扩张导致的碳储量变化进行了估算。结果表明，耕地面积增加了约1.6倍。这一增长是由农业技术进步和有利的农业政策推动的。耕地面积增加2.03 Mha (M = 106)的原因是将约4.09 Mha的耕地转为耕地，并将2.06 Mha的耕地转为其他土地覆盖类型。耕地面积的扩大导致碳的大量固存，新疆地区碳固存量达94.24 Tg C (1Tg = 1012g)，占区域碳储量的1.4%。退耕还田(LCC)对碳汇的贡献最大。1975 - 2004年和2005 - 2015年，LCC对C密度的贡献率分别为0.61 Mg C ha - 1a−1和1.54 Mg C ha - 1a−1。由于耕地损失(CLO)造成的29.40 Tg C的碳固存归因于建设用地和造林的扩大。以大规模耕地清理为代表的可持续农业活动是新疆主要的碳汇。因此，农田的可持续管理对于保持较高的碳密度和防止未来因农田废弃而导致的碳向大气的损失至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Carbon Management ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

3.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： Carbon Management is a scholarly peer-reviewed forum for insights from the diverse array of disciplines that enhance our understanding of carbon dioxide and other GHG interactions – from biology, ecology, chemistry and engineering to law, policy, economics and sociology. The core aim of Carbon Management is it to examine the options and mechanisms for mitigating the causes and impacts of climate change, which includes mechanisms for reducing emissions and enhancing the removal of GHGs from the atmosphere, as well as metrics used to measure performance of options and mechanisms resulting from international treaties, domestic policies, local regulations, environmental markets, technologies, industrial efforts and consumer choices. One key aim of the journal is to catalyse intellectual debate in an inclusive and scientific manner on the practical work of policy implementation related to the long-term effort of managing our global GHG emissions and impacts. Decisions made in the near future will have profound impacts on the global climate and biosphere. Carbon Management delivers research findings in an accessible format to inform decisions in the fields of research, education, management and environmental policy.